Cellophane package wrap



y 5, 1935. J. F. LINDSEY 2,008,361

CELLOPHANE PACKAGE WRAP Filed Jan. 22, 1952 Patented July 16, 1935 i g I I V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE cELLoPnANE PACKAGE waar John Lindsey, ,(lhicagm-"llL, assignor to Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, ChicagoJlL, a corpora- Application January 22,1932, No. 588,047

I 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) This invention relates to improvements in Consequently, on applying an additional wrap- "Cellophane" wrapped packages,'and'more parper, it is desirable to-provide for opening the ticularly to means for facilitating the opening-of package in the usual manner, and hence the the package by tearing the wrapper along a pre- Cellophane wrapper with the auxiliary opening "-5 determined line, thereby removing only so much member is applied accordingly.- Thus as shown of the wrapper as to permit ready accessto the in Figure 2, the Cellophane wrapper is a rec-- contents. 1 tang'ular-sheet, enough longer and'wider than Thenecessity for means. for facilitating the the package to completely envelope it with-the openingof packages tightlywrapped and sealed longer edges; overlapping each other and the I -in"Cellophanef has been prompted by the difiiprotruding endstucked in and folded neatly 1 0 culty usually experienced in initially breaking against the ends of the package in a regular 5 7 through the wrapper, although when once rupsquare end fold.

tured the Cellophane tears quite easily and It will be understood that in practice the wrapin all directions. Consequently when the wrap- P g p i n is performed on machines, the a per has finally yielded, it is usually tom com- Cellophane being fed from a roll and thence 15 pletely from the package, thus depriving the cut transversely into the individual wrappers, contents of the'protection that might otherwise thus accounting for the serrations at the longer be available during theperiod required for their edges of the wrapper. There is nothing novel 1 consumption. t then in the wrapping operation, although'it is With the presence of a strip of Cellophane Pref ra ly P r rm d w the pplication of ad- 20 surrounding the package and preferably adjahesive along the overlapping edges and at the cent one. end, with a loose end which may be en 80 h t th package will be tightly sealed grasped between the fingers, it is asimple matter and without loose flaps or edges that could be to sever the wrapper around thepackage and on e ly r p 1' Dried 11D y the finger l the line defined by the strip, one of the portions T op n s member 5 as previously xp n d thus severed having the form of a cap over one. is P y a nar ow ribbon-like str p of end of the package which can be readily re- P n fr 1*: a: O an inch in W h, nd moved, leaving the remaining portion intact on of a color that is readily visible in contrast with the package. V that of the package and the Cellophane wrap- The preferred form of the present invention per. Thus for example, if acolorless clear Cellois disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in phane is used for the wrappers, the strips may which be red or some other color.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the package The strips may be incorporated in the packages completely wrapped; during the wrapping operation in several differure2 isapersp tive view of the unwrapped out ways, two of which are herein illustrated. p ckage showing its position relat ve t0 h By one method (Figure 2) the strip material has Ce p w appe w th the s d st ip adthe form of a gummed tape fed from a roll or 'hering thereto; spool toward the web of Cellophane" as it travels f 3 1S a v w ShOWmg a wrapper W th t e toward the cutter, the gummed surface of the tape 40 p attached thereto at theend O y; and being moistened as it is fed into contact with the Fieureiiseperspeotive ew showing the man- Cellophane web, and just before the latter her in which the Strip is manipulated in Opening passes between the cutters. In short, by the h p method of using a gummed tape, the wrapper For th p p f s disclosure, the e s and strip materials are assembled before the m- P m y be y Package consumable P u dividual wrappers are cut. According to another article to which is to be applied an additional a d qually satisfactory method, the strips S ut r wr pp r W f C phane, although th (Figure 3) are not gummed but are segments of familial P e of chewing gum h b illusa continuous supply fed toward the point of trated as one to which the improved method and package wrappin but in a p h apart from the means o p ni s par ularly adaptable. Like web of Cellophane. Moreover separate cutmost package consumabl pr du chewing m ting means are provided in the path of the tape ordinarily lasts for a period of time before the feed and operates to cut the same into strip contents of a package are consumed, and hence lengths. Thus the wrappers are cut and are it is customary to break open oneend of the about to be applied to the packages when the package and remove the contents therefrom. strips are fed into contact with the wrappers, the

latter previously having had adhesive wiped along the marginal area a (Figure 3), so that the same adhesive that eventually seals the overlapping edges of the wrapper serves to adhere one end of the strip 8 to the outer or overlying edge of the overlapping margins of the wrappers.

By either method, however, the ultimate position of the strip on the wrapper is the same, namely, parallel with and spaced inwardly from one of the end edges as shown in both Figures 2 and 3, and so also, when the wrapper is applied to the package, the strip is folded around the package with it and lies between the package and the wrapper, being either attached to the latter throughout its full length or only at its outermost end.

In applying these strips S or S to the wrappers, it is essential, if not desirable, to have one end of the strip project from between the overlapping edges of the wrapper and to have this projecting end loose so that it can be readily grasped be-.

tween the fingers and pulled with a following movement around the package in the act of severing the adjacent end covering portion irom the main portion of the wrapper. Thus along one of the longer serrated edges of the wrappers W and the one which lies exterior the package when the wrapper is folded and sealed, is a pointed tab T spaced inwardly from one end thereof a distance corresponding to the predetermined location of the strip. For convenience the tab T is one of the serrations increased to at least three times the width and length of the remaining serrations and formed when the wrappers are cut and by providing the cutting members with an enlarged cutting tooth. Consequently as each wrapper is severed from the web of Cellophane fed between the cutting members, the leading edge will have the enlarged tab T and-the trailing edge will have a corresponding recess or notch N. Thus with the tab T located in line with the strip, the outer end will be: extended beyond the edge, of the wrapper, either by the simultaneous cutting of the tab and strip as in Figure 2, or the registering of the end of the strip with the tip of the tab, as in Figure 3. Here again the result attained is quite the same, namely, the provision of a loose tab on the exposed edge of the wrapper which is not sealed down, but is free and carries the outer end of the strip so that the two can be grasped between the fingers in the initial act in the opening of the package. As clearly shown in Figure 1, the wrapper is applied and wrapped so that the overlapping serrated edge is spaced just back of one corner edge of the package, with the result that at least the tip portion of the tab '1 bearing the end of the strip projects outwardly beyond the corner edge, being thus rendered the more accessible.

And finally, to manipulate the package in opening, it is held in one hand while the tab and adhering end of the strip is pulled backwardly from the outer sealed edge, thereby tearing away a narrow strip or band of the wrapper completely around the end of the package. Since the strip or ribbon is adhered to the tab, it follows that the wrapper commences to tear along lines extending inwardly from the base of the tab, but these lines converge before the tearing has proceeded very far to lines paralleling the edges of the strip S, these being followed until the wrapper has been completely severed to form a cap-like portion over the end which is readily removed, leaving the major portion of the wrapper intact on the package until its contents have been consumed.

Manifestly the process of incorporating the ribbon-like opening strip into the package may be variously modified, depending on the particular process or the type of wrapping machine used. Moreover, the nature of the material used for the wrappers as well as the strips may be varied, depending on the character of the product being packaged. In short, it is not the intention or desire to limit the invention to the specific disclosure except in so far as it is defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a package of an outer wrapper closed at its ends and sealed lengthwise along overlapping marginal portions, said wrapper having an integral marginal tab adapted in the wrapping operation to be disposed at a predetermined point along the sealed overlapping marginal portions thereof and to project loosely therebeyond exterior the wrapped package, and a narrow strip of reinforcing material encircling the package with said wrapper at the point defined by said tab and extending throughout the length of the latter.

2. The combination with a package of an outer wrapper closed at its ends and sealed lengthwise along overlapping marginal portions, said wrapper having an integral marginal tab formed at a predetermined point along one edge thereof and adapted in the wrapping operation to be disposed adjacent one end of the package and to extend loosely beyond the outer overlapping sealed marginal portion thereof, and a narrow strip extending transversely around the package in line with said tab and having one end extending beyond the sealed overlapping marginal portions of the wrapper and lengthwise of said tab.

3. In combination with a package of a wrapper of readily tearable material tightly wrapped around the same and sealed lengthwise along overlapping marginal portions, said wrapper having a tab projecting from the edge of the outer overlapping marginal portions adapted in the wrapping operation to be disposed loosely exterior the wrapped package and adjacent one of its ends, and a reinforcing strip extending beneath the wrapper and in line with said tab and having an end portion sealed between said overlapping marginal portions and terminating beyond in a tab complementary 'to the tab on said wrapper.

4. In combination with a package of an outer wrapper of transparent cellulose material tightly wrapped around the same and sealed at its ends and lengthwise along overlapping marginal portions, said wrapper having a tab projecting from a predetermined point at the edge of one of said overlapping marginal portions and adapted in the wrapping operation to be disposed adjacent one end of the package and to project loosely beyond the outer overlapping marginal portion, and a narrow colored strip of the same material extending transversely around the package beneath the wrapper in line with said tab and having a portion of its length sealed'between the overlapping marginal portions thereof and a loose end projecting therebyond in overlapping engagement with said tab.

JOHN F. LINDSEY. 

